Distributed Learning Symposium - Calgary, Alberta

I had the privilege of being part of keynote panel for the 2009 Distributed Learning Symposium in Calgary, Alberta. The other panel members were George Siemens and Alec Couros. The topic of our keynote was on Personalization, Social Networks, Innovation and Ingenuity. We each had five minutes to speak on the topic and then we responded to questions from the audience via a show of hands and the use of Twitter. From my perspective, it was an interactive experience that was well received by the audience.

A couple of other sessions of interest to me were by Amy Park and Jason Ohler. Amy is a former student of my EDUC3325: Computers in Education course and she is currently teaching at the Calgary Science School. Her session was entitled Engaging “Screenagers” in Academic Rigor. She demonstrated how she engages her junior high students in inquiry-based learning through the construction of video documentaries. Amy also discussed how this process helps students gain 21st Century Skills as outlined by the Metiri Group and how she creates a collaborative learning culture through assessment (extensive use of self, peer, instructor and parent feedback).

Jason was the evening keynote speaker and his session was entitled Beyond Essays: New kids, New Media and New Literacies. He began his session by explaining that teacher's are "door openers" for students. He then discussed how computers are "screasels" (screen + easel). Jason provided an overview to a series of digital literacy action guidelines:

1. Shift from text-centrism to new media collage
2. Value writing more than ever (visually differentiated text – VDT)
3. Adopt art as 4 th , next R
4. Follow DAOW of literacy (Digital Art Oral Written – Digital Storytelling)
5. Attitude is the aptitude (“can do” attitude)
6. Practice private and social literacy
7. Develop literacy about digital tools
8. Fluency, not just literacy
9. Harness both report and story . . . embrace story! (teaching is storytelling)

He went on to provide the following advice for teachers:

1. Leave clicks, tricks to kids with time
2. Deputize: guide on side not technician magician
3. Create learning communities
4. Provide quality, wisdom
5. Provide meaningful assessment, feedback

Jason has done a lot of work with children in the area of digital storytelling and he emphasizes that a story core has three key parts

1. Problem (tension)
2. Solution (resolution)
3. Transformation (emergence, rebalancing)

And, that the media development process for a digital story often has 8 steps:

1. Plan, map, pitch storyboard story
2. Write 1-2 pages
3. Speak/record
4. Add/reserve title page
5. Add pics
6. Add citations
7. Add music
8. Add transitions